On April 30th Patently Apple posted a report titled Despite the Challenges of COVID-19, Apple Delivered 1% Growth YoY due to strong performances in Services and Wearables. In a second report covering highlights from Apple's Financial Conference Call, CEO Tim Cook pointed out that wearables were a strong performer for the quarter while specifically noting that 70% of Apple Watch purchases came from first-timers.

Today the latest research from Strategy Analytics reveals that global smartwatch shipments grew 20 percent annually to reach 14 million units in the first calendar quarter of 2020 with Apple Watch maintaining it's dominant position with 55 percent global smartwatch market share.

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics: "Apple Watch shipped 7.6 million units worldwide in Q1 2020, rising an above-average 23 percent from 6.2 million in Q1 2019. Apple’s global smartwatch market share has grown from 54 percent to 55 percent, its highest level for two years. Apple Watch continues to fend off strong competition from hungry rivals like Garmin and Samsung. Apple Watch owns half the worldwide smartwatch market and remains the clear industry leader."

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics: "Global smartwatch shipments grew 20 percent annually from 11.4 million units in Q1 2019 to 13.7 million in Q1 2020. Despite considerable headwinds from the COVID-19 scare, global demand for smartwatches continued to grow. Smartwatches are selling well through online retail channels, while many consumers have been using smartwatches to monitor their health and fitness during virus lockdown." For more on this, read the full Strategy Analytical report.